NJAMHAA-FY23-Annual-Report

13 NJAMHAA Annual Report FY 2023 Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services $50 million over five years for state-level parity enforcement starting in 2024 Extends the telehealth flexibilities for COVID-19 through December 31, 2024 These are all areas NJAMHAA has consistently advocated for to New Jersey’s Congressional delegation. With the Omnibus and Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, lawmakers committed more federal funding in a single year in programs to help those with mental health and substance use challenges than NJAMHAA has ever seen in any session of Congress. These were unprecedented advocacy successes. NJAMHAA has also always been at the forefront of federal advocacy campaigns for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) and was pleased that the Safer Communities Act, signed late in June 2022, expanded the CCBHC demonstration program nationwide with up to 10 new states able to opt into the demonstration every two years. Just months later, NJAMHAA learned that the Department of Health and Human Services would be allowing original demonstration states, such as New Jersey, to newly certify programs to be added to their demonstration. This is a path NJAMHAA is pursuing, having established a workgroup with the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to explore this option, as mentioned in the previous section. NJAMHAA’s years-long advocacy has contributed to these and many other significant national level successes. Among those other successes are those that were realized in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Calendar 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. They include: • Extending a number of flexibilities implemented under the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for a 151-day period after the expiration of the PHE • Allowing behavioral health clinicians to offer services incident to Medicare practitioners under general (rather than direct) supervision • Allowing Licensed Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists to bill incident to Medicare practitioners for their services • Allowing opioid treatment programs to use telehealth to initiate treatment with buprenorphine for patients with opioid use disorder • Clarifying that opioid treatment programs can bill for opioid use disorder treatment services provided through mobile units, such as vans, in accordance with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration guidance